Here's The Confidential Memo Yahoo Sent Employees About Working From Homehttp://www.businessinsider.com/yahoo-working-from-home-memo-2013-2/comments
en-usWed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 -0500Mon, 19 Mar 2018 11:32:47 -0400Kevin Smithhttp://www.businessinsider.com/c/5136589a6bb3f7311c00000bBappy DasTue, 05 Mar 2013 15:42:02 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5136589a6bb3f7311c00000b
As far as my view concerns, It is quit well to work where you feel free with your office timings. But it some times TURNs the "Innovation, Sincerity and time manage" REVERSE to the productivity and output. As far as the working from office or reporting to office hour is concerned, people have an excuse if late and stop working before pack-up time as it is the matter of responsibility of 6-8 hours of a day, workers take it towards office Manager or next to him . But if at all it is a remote site, responsibility come at its own to finish the Task in a particular time frame as there is no office hour of 6-8 hours but Self INITIATION For ROUND the CLOCK. Just the MATTER of FEELING FREE to work with own TIME with own INITIATION and INNOVATIONS to his/her WORK as no ONE LIKEs THE BOSS AROUND...!!!:)http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512f27ad6bb3f7be7d000015BigEdThu, 28 Feb 2013 04:47:25 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512f27ad6bb3f7be7d000015
Mayer looks like she got her job based on her abilities at sword swallowing and sucking the chrome off of a trailer hitch ball.
Her management decisions confirm this.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512eb9a26bb3f7a32f000008BTWed, 27 Feb 2013 20:57:54 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512eb9a26bb3f7a32f000008
HR has probably had a bunch of complaints from people who have to be on sight. They feel like " how come they get to do it but we don't. The second group is the people who aren't good at communicating ideas with people who aren't there. " these newfangled computers and all." She does seem like a huge hypocrite by building her private nursery on sight. Bottom line is if you can do your job at home and do it well then do it. Save the company space at the same time. The line that made me laugh was
"Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings." FALSE. for the most part consensus building and meetings kill productivity and genius.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512d4ea169beddb977000012DailyTue, 26 Feb 2013 19:09:05 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512d4ea169beddb977000012
What is with the all or nothing viewpoint? Define 2 days a week you work at home and 2 days you go to the office, Fridays are as needed. Then two people can share a cubicle, save office space.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512c5b796bb3f71b2c00000cAbdu Jalil KaziTue, 26 Feb 2013 01:51:37 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512c5b796bb3f71b2c00000c
How should I join this?http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512bdf716bb3f76e4400000aComebackMiniMSFTMon, 25 Feb 2013 17:02:25 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512bdf716bb3f76e4400000a
Could not agree more. Microsoft is full of managers that pump their employees for value and pass it off as their own. Not a lot of good ones left.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512bcc9feab8eada7c000004CbMon, 25 Feb 2013 15:42:07 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512bcc9feab8eada7c000004
Clearly hiring, retaining and promoting women is NOT a priority for her. The group that benefits most from "work from home" strategies are women with children, as then they aren't forced to choose between their careers and their families. Nice job. Way to go for the sisterhood, Marissa.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512bb65deab8ea4e43000006Kevin SheridanMon, 25 Feb 2013 14:07:09 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512bb65deab8ea4e43000006
Yahoo’s CEO’s decision about not allowing employees from working from home is very short-sighted in my opinion. In fact, the evidence about the benefits of telecommuniting are very compelling. Fully 81% of people that have worked remotely report that they were more productive at home than working in a "traditional" workplace environment. Chapter 1 of The Virtual Manager lays out the enormous and quantifiable benefits of virtual work. www.virtualmanagerbook.comhttp://www.businessinsider.com/c/512b922eeab8ea666d000002VickiMon, 25 Feb 2013 11:32:46 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512b922eeab8ea666d000002
Near the end of my tenure at Yahoo!, I was reorged into a team where my 2-nd level manager, his manager (VP), and Her manager (sr VP) were all based in Richardson, TX. I was at Sunnyvale HQ. Richardson, TX is 1700 miles from Sunnyvale. Those people were abut as "remote" as they could be.
I know people who had team mates in Santa Monica, Ireland, Long=don, and Bangalore.
Are all of _those_ people supposed to come into the Sunnyvale office (or quit)?http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512b91966bb3f7a22d000008VickiMon, 25 Feb 2013 11:30:14 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512b91966bb3f7a22d000008
I worked at Yahoo! for over 5 years. Ann Droid is correct. We all communicated by IM and Email. Or we were in meetings. Or at lunch. Or conference calls to employees in remote offices (they weren't at home but they were assuredly remote).
At lunch, we didn't come up with "the next big thing" (and if we had, how likely is it that that thing would ave made it all the way up the chain to become a product?"
Breakroom conversations were mostly personal (or people asking why there were no longer any paper cups).http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512b906f69bedd8b7a00000fVickiMon, 25 Feb 2013 11:25:19 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512b906f69bedd8b7a00000f
I'm not a Millennial; I'm a Boomer. And I work far more productively at home. I have a quiet environment with two large screens. No cell phones. No jabbering people. No constant wal-bys. No breakroom traffic.
In our "at will employment" economy, no one is "entitled" to a job. But the good workers will find one where their work is valued more than their "butt in a chair".http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512b8fc06bb3f72a29000012VickiMon, 25 Feb 2013 11:22:24 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512b8fc06bb3f72a29000012
I was a content manager at Yahoo! for over 5 years. I did internal support; my work was in support of the engineers, PMs, etc. I was definitely "more productive (speed and quality) working in a quiet room at home without interruptions'
In the last year+, I was in a cubicle on a cross-aisle between two major corridors, near a popular meeting room (thin walls) and 20 feet from an open breakroom. Cell phones, constant chatter, and near constant traffic guaranteed that I was about 50% as productive in the office. Headphones for > 1 hour give me a headache. I worked form home 3 days a week.
Productivity is a question for individuals and managers to determine together. Some people can't work from home. Some can't work in the office. It's up to the individual and their manager to work out who is who.
> the "next great idea" rarely comes from people sitting alone or in organized meetings.
Perhaps. But they don't come from forcing employees into the office when they know that's a substandard environment for Getting Things Done either.
You can't create productivity or innovation by edict.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512b6ca5eab8ea1b1700001bHell no.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 08:52:37 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512b6ca5eab8ea1b1700001b
BI didn't do a thing wrong by posting it. Whoever sent it to them probably did, and if Yahoo! finds out who it is, I would expect that person to be seriously reprimanded or perhaps fired. But BI didn't aid them, it just published what it received.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512b48f7ecad04313000000eBobNyMon, 25 Feb 2013 06:20:23 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512b48f7ecad04313000000e
You said "name one company that has no offices". That was a pointless and stupid question.
The question should be, name one company that has zero remote employees. If you think the answer is Google or Apple you'd be wrong.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512b47faeab8eaad45000001BobNyMon, 25 Feb 2013 06:16:10 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512b47faeab8eaad45000001
So you think it's reasonable for someone to sell their house, even at a lose, by June? I'm not sure if you are aware but some parts of the country still have a very soft housing market. Selling isn't all that easy.
Proper budgeting? You're a real piece of work and incredibly out of touch with reality.
Yahoo should just be honest and have a round of layoffs. They want these people to quit. If they really wanted to keep these people they would offer them relocation or give them more time to relocate them selves. 4 months notice to uproot your family is insane.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a923f6bb3f7f14700000fgejagSun, 24 Feb 2013 17:20:47 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a923f6bb3f7f14700000f
She is the last person I would want to be "side by side" with. What an egotistical morale BUSTER. There is "buzz and energy" in the offices alright...it's staff shopping for another company with A REAL team building CULTURE; not a power tripping micromanaging dinosur. FAIL YAHOO. What a troll.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a7e6f6bb3f76e29000004NASun, 24 Feb 2013 15:56:15 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a7e6f6bb3f76e29000004
The only thing that FB does well is the scaling, it's not like the website was innovaite, it was just myspace with a much better UI. So I wouldn't say the ones doing the scaling are the drones, the original website idea was mainly drone work. There's nothing really new or innovaive about the site, there might be some innovative stuff in the data mining, but again that came after the original site.
But I really don't see FB as the great innovator of our time, so their style of everybody in the same room doesn't really work for innovation.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a7c986bb3f7d422000007NASun, 24 Feb 2013 15:48:24 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a7c986bb3f7d422000007
@MP: exactly, it's a poor decision where she's able to find a group that's relatively small enough to be able to lay off without having to decide who is not productive. It would be far more courageous to go through the list of employees who are least productive and lay them off. If it turns out they are remote employees, then she could institute a policy of no more working at home for future employees. However, I very much doubt that would be the findings. But apparently media infatutation makes you a good manager these days.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a6ab869beddb62d00000dDean WormerSun, 24 Feb 2013 14:32:08 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a6ab869beddb62d00000d
Office Buildings: Wave of the future. Check 'em out!http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a6802eab8eac85a000009Dean WormerSun, 24 Feb 2013 14:20:34 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a6802eab8eac85a000009
Nice thoughts all. But for a mutually agreeable set of employment terms, they own my ass at least 9-5 which means I live by their rules and dont try to f'k up their business and do what I am asked.
When those terms are longer agreeable, I either work it out or leave. Simple mind simple life. If I was her and I found the person that forwarded tis to BI I'd can their ass in a New York minute and feel great about it.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a48316bb3f70d42000004free market economySun, 24 Feb 2013 12:04:49 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a48316bb3f70d42000004
According to free market economy principles labor market is an arrangement between market participants to match each other's needs, based on demand and supply.
Where is the privilege part in this? Are you still living in the feudalism?http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a29d7eab8eafa4b000010corporate "legislation"Sun, 24 Feb 2013 09:55:19 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a29d7eab8eafa4b000010
Dean, that's one of the biggest corporate BS that they pretend they can write "laws".
A company can ask you to sign whatever their power trip driven senior management can dream of - most of their wet dream would not stand any legal challenge.
Use your brain, grow a spine, be a human, stop swallowing corporate BS.
Slavery has been abolished for a while now, start acting as a free man.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a19cf6bb3f7b26300001fBobNySun, 24 Feb 2013 08:46:55 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a19cf6bb3f7b26300001f
Then wouldn't that show up in the quantity and/quality of their work? Are you really so dumb to think that a manager would be able to tell if their employee wasn't working? These are not people that have received poor performance reviews. They are highly rated.
The issue is what are these people realistically supposed to do? Sell their home in 4 months and move?http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a1890eab8ea362900000dBobNYSun, 24 Feb 2013 08:41:36 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512a1890eab8ea362900000d
I actually think we are focusing on the wrong things in this debate. It's not about WFH or the office or productive or not productive. This is about the way this company is treating their employees and running their business. Yahoo is not being honest about the reasoning for eliminating WFH. Do any of you really believe that the 1% of their work force is stifling creativity by working at home. If that we're true and so mission critical to the success of Yahoo don't you think the company would pay for relocation so these people could come to the office.
Remember, if it was simply an issue of WFH being unproductive workers than you could simply terminate them as you would any low performer. This is about the company wanting to conduct a layoff without having to offer severance.
Shame on you Yahoo! If you need to reduce head count just do it in an open and ethical way. Don't make up some story about synergy to mask your intentions and save a few bucks.
What in think the office workers at Yahoo need to see is, what's next? What tactic are they going to use on you when they need to let more people go?http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129f77669bedd281d000006Wim WeberSun, 24 Feb 2013 06:20:22 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129f77669bedd281d000006
If your work depends on having a computer, how can you be more productive when in an office ? Show me the research that proves that. Why would we need the internet and services like Yahoo, when the office is so much better for "speed and quality of the work" ?
As for "new insights", lots of research has actually shown that creativity is better generated in a solo environment than in meetings, where 'groupthink' tends to emerge.
This memo has more to do with management panicking and trying to exercise power over employees than with an actual well thought-out plan to make Yahoo more competitive.
Marissa Meyer is turning it into a Yet Another Hierarchical Horror Office.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129f323eab8ea8253000020Jamie ReadSun, 24 Feb 2013 06:01:55 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129f323eab8ea8253000020
This is a perfect example of incompetent management.
These managers are useless at home (they provide no value anyway) - so they assume everyone else is useless at home.
This is why yahoo is a failed company and will cease to exist in a few years time.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129d83f6bb3f7f35f000001Byte MeSun, 24 Feb 2013 04:07:11 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129d83f6bb3f7f35f000001
When did I ever say all employees should work in an office? A majority of my company staff is remote. My point is, its my choice as owner who gets to work remote. Not the individual contributor. You don't like my company rules, feel free to work somewhere else.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129d68b6bb3f7ca54000002Byte MeSun, 24 Feb 2013 03:59:55 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129d68b6bb3f7ca54000002
If its ego that's driving my stock in Google to $800 a share; go for it, Larry.
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-shares-plans-for-spectacular-new-headquarters-2013-2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" >http://www.businessinsider.com/google-shares-plans-for-spectacular-new-headquarters-2013-2</a>http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129d619ecad046561000002iagreeSun, 24 Feb 2013 03:58:01 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129d619ecad046561000002
I bet 1/2 of Yahoo wfh people have a second job or doing as little as possible.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129d530eab8ea1e02000016Byte MeSun, 24 Feb 2013 03:54:08 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129d530eab8ea1e02000016
Yes, I have been to Sunnyvale. In fact I work two miles north of that. Prior to starting my own business, that is EXACTLY what I did, selling my house and move south when my job moved from the North Bay to the South Bay. All because I know how to budget and plan accordingly. It was the smartest thing I ever did, watching my investment climb over $500K in value in less than two years.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129d2d2eab8eaae7700002aByte MeSun, 24 Feb 2013 03:44:02 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129d2d2eab8eaae7700002a
"Not entitled"?! You actually suggest that such companies owe you something? A job is not a right, its a privilege. The sooner you Millennials get that through your thick skulls, the better off you'll be.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129bac369beddaa54000019cherrychewSun, 24 Feb 2013 02:01:23 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129bac369beddaa54000019
What's her end game? To get more people to click on ads.
We've gave reached a point where people "dead click". They click but they ain't buying. She's a joke.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129ae9d69bedd6641000001HehSun, 24 Feb 2013 01:09:33 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129ae9d69bedd6641000001
Ego.
First they build huge gleaming glass palaces. Then they want to see swarms of worker bees buzzing around inside of them, so they can say "I built this glass palace! What a captain of industry I am!"
It shows how little faith they have in the value proposition of their business. They don't buy into their own product pitch ("work anytime, anywhere!")
Makes me wonder why any customer would, really...http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129ad6f69bedd643e00000apito perzSun, 24 Feb 2013 01:04:31 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129ad6f69bedd643e00000a
MARISSA: you are hot, marry me, I can make you happy babe you will not have to work ever.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129ac09eab8ea632f000007pito perzSun, 24 Feb 2013 00:58:33 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129ac09eab8ea632f000007
i think Kara Swusher is hothttp://www.businessinsider.com/c/512999ca69bedd480500001dQSat, 23 Feb 2013 23:40:42 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512999ca69bedd480500001d
"So BI is aiding this employee in breaking their confidentiality agreement.....hiummmmm"
Two words: First Amendmenthttp://www.businessinsider.com/c/51299259eab8ea9c79000005RichSat, 23 Feb 2013 23:08:57 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51299259eab8ea9c79000005
you'd love the UK, a 5 mile drive can take an hourhttp://www.businessinsider.com/c/512991b3eab8ead86d00002eYahoo policy change due poor performance of CEO, while working from homeSat, 23 Feb 2013 23:06:11 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512991b3eab8ead86d00002e
Yahoo has been forced to change the company policy about work-from-home, after the poor results of Marissa Mayer CEO's performance review, while she was working from home, just after joining the company.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51298907ecad042354000009BobNYSat, 23 Feb 2013 22:29:11 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51298907ecad042354000009
Plus it's 200 people out of 12000. These 200 people must be amazing if their physical presence alone is going to turn the company around.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129888cecad04d34f00001dBobNYSat, 23 Feb 2013 22:27:08 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129888cecad04d34f00001d
So no lifers work in the office? I'm not following you statement. You are assuming that everyone working remotely is al lifer? I'm not sure how you'd know that.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129867869bedd205d000016BobNYSat, 23 Feb 2013 22:18:16 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129867869bedd205d000016
1.5% of yahoo employees work from home, not 100%. Where did you read that any suggested having no offices? For some people in certain locations, with certain jobs and certain skills working remotely makes a ton of sense. Eliminating it completely so they can all enjoy a free lunch is dumb.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129852fecad04b54d000005BobNYSat, 23 Feb 2013 22:12:47 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129852fecad04b54d000005
What this memo really says is that they don't trust their employees and that applies to both people that work in the office and from home.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129843a69bedd0e5d000005BobNYSat, 23 Feb 2013 22:08:42 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129843a69bedd0e5d000005
Have you been to Sunnyvale? Small houses that share a backyard with a highway run for about a million bucks. Traffic is awful and a 25 mile drive can take an hour. Yeah, just sell your house and move. What great advice!
If this is so critical o the success of yahoo maybe they should cover relocation costs.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129803b69bedded4f000011SSat, 23 Feb 2013 21:51:39 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129803b69bedded4f000011
Over a decade ago I worked remotely (I held this job for three years) and many of my co-workers were also remote. It was very easy to tell who was working and who was goofing off. It was also very easy to communicate and coordinate remote workers via email and IM, to hold meetings online and by phone etc. And this was TEN YEARS AGO. It is even easier today. Hello, Yahoo is a supposedly an Internet company!!!! If this how she intends to start, she has NO ideas.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51297a6669bedd7044000001MollandeSat, 23 Feb 2013 21:26:46 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51297a6669bedd7044000001
This isn't what Goldman Sachs do, setting policy for all of us?http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512971e66bb3f79b1a000007RomperSat, 23 Feb 2013 20:50:30 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512971e66bb3f79b1a000007
All these comments here are brilliant and so are the commenters - but the one who is getting a huuuge wage at Yahoo is M.Meyer who seems to have no idea what is going on. It is a pity that it is very common that people without vision, knowledge, passion and analytical thinking are the ones who are at the top of the companies and have the biggest salaries not because they are valuable for the company but because they are so dumb that the persons who have chosen them think that their dumbness is in fact a genius - but it isn't. So M.Meyer should not be blamed for her dumbness (because she won't change herself) but the people who have chosen her.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51295d896bb3f7a37300000bAnton OlffSat, 23 Feb 2013 19:23:37 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51295d896bb3f7a37300000b
Yahoo = AOL
Apple = SONY
They had their time in the sun. Now it is time for others to shine:http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51295c1eeab8eac07f000008WizardSat, 23 Feb 2013 19:17:34 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51295c1eeab8eac07f000008
Nor are they entitled to make those kinds of demands on employees. Its a partnership or its slavery.
Ann.. yes please.. we'll have moar brilliance from the facebook camp inside yahoo with my latte..http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51295a2f69bedd916f00001cWizardSat, 23 Feb 2013 19:09:19 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51295a2f69bedd916f00001c
Its like when a gift is too good to be true, but the opposite. There's something going on behind the scenes that has more to do w/ Marissa's ego than the practicality of the whole thing. ..imho of course.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129592969bedd1875000001WizardSat, 23 Feb 2013 19:04:57 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129592969bedd1875000001
I can totally see this both sides. In the end, its up to the company management to figure out what kind of culture and social mechanics are at play. ..great.
But when an established company decides to shake things up and completely re-arrange several hundred employee's family lives, that's either a Hollywood size ego showing off or Yahoo is in far worse shape then we thought. I would never work for her or them from home or anywhere else in the first place.
Hopefully Marissa will realize that only true synergy will be found in Greenland ..yes, Greenland.. then she can scoop all her little yahoodlers up and ship them off to a place where they cannot escape her grasp. No doubt the employees and world will be grateful for Marissa's guidance and fortitude. Yea' Yahoo!http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129542f69bedd0f67000007someoneSat, 23 Feb 2013 18:43:43 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129542f69bedd0f67000007
The FB office style is just cost saving and personel control masqueraded as being cool. The FB code was mainly developed by just one person at first and after that you only need a bunch of drones to scale it.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51294e5469beddc853000037someoneSat, 23 Feb 2013 18:18:44 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51294e5469beddc853000037
I think those investors of Yahoo have finally given up on creativity and that's why they hired an air head to force out the creative minds (to cut costs) and scare the others into more hard working drones. This could probably be a good move business wise in the short term but in the long term, well, who cares.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51294bfceab8ea515a000021someoneSat, 23 Feb 2013 18:08:44 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51294bfceab8ea515a000021
She is still working for herself. This is just a clever move for creating some actions, something you would call rearranging the deck of the Titanic.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512943dbecad040651000016JRSat, 23 Feb 2013 17:34:03 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512943dbecad040651000016
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcSujceZDmg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" >http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcSujceZDmg</a>http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129400b6bb3f7743b000005bdbrSat, 23 Feb 2013 17:17:47 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129400b6bb3f7743b000005
Managers aren't the ones coming up with great ideas...they're just the ones who take credit for it. ;-)
(the good mangers aren't like that, of course)http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51293da4eab8ea443e000012bdbrSat, 23 Feb 2013 17:07:32 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51293da4eab8ea443e000012
I'm not a manager, and I never said anything about manager supervision. I don't think experienced tech employees really need management oversight.
Success comes from the tech guys developing on existing ideas (which works great from home) and working together to brainstorm new ideas (which works best when they're not in different places).
That's why I wrote that it's important to be flexible ("insecure, defensive, authoritarian"? Most of what you said I wrote is counter to what I wrote!). Set the policies, and let the employees decide what to do from there. Then reward them on what they accomplish. We're all adults.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51293c88ecad04cf4100002fShane KinderSat, 23 Feb 2013 17:02:48 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51293c88ecad04cf4100002f
I find this to be a surprising move for a tech company rushing to embrace the future. First of all - it's fairly well recognized that certain types of workers (developers, designers, etc) are often at their most productive when when working uninterrupted for extended periods of time. That's very difficult to do in most office environments and is often why said employees choose to work remotely (it makes them more productive, not less). Secondarily - the market for A player talent is extremely competitive and limiting yourself to workers within a narrow radius of your offices excludes a large and growing pool of talented folks around the world. That seems shortsighted to me and an unneccessary handicap in the already heated war for talent.
I spent nearly 5 years working at Yahoo! so I know all too well about the issues described above. I currently work at oDesk which is at the forefront of the flexible, online work movement so admittedly I have a horse in the race here. That said I've seen firsthand how productive working with remote folks can be (if done correctly), I know that there's a deep pool of talented individuals who happen to be located outside of the major tech labor markets and I'm honestly surprised that Yahoo is not rushing to embrace both of those facts.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51293a6569bedd442c000001Dean WormerSat, 23 Feb 2013 16:53:41 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51293a6569bedd442c000001
Dunno bout you dude, but every web company i worked for made me sign a non compete and nondisclosure. That means keep secret whats secret. The employee that passed this to BI should of course be fired, but not likley anyone will ever figure out who that is, unless BI wants to publish their name, but of course that would be confidential information to BI.
So BI is aiding this employee in breaking their confidentiality agreement.....hiummmmmhttp://www.businessinsider.com/c/512937d569bedd0c24000004haywoodmatthewsSat, 23 Feb 2013 16:42:45 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512937d569bedd0c24000004
Here is a thought, one size does not fit all. If I had someone who was super productive because they were anti social, or just didn't want to be distracted by "mindless office chatter" that has nothing to do with being productive... I would tread lightly mandating an office environment.
Some brilliant people work better at 2am then 2pm.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512936ec69bedd0b2100000bObonzoSat, 23 Feb 2013 16:38:52 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512936ec69bedd0b2100000b
"Employees who regularly work from home must now come into the office or quit"
It's all Bush's faulthttp://www.businessinsider.com/c/512936a4eab8ea052f000004thebodygdSat, 23 Feb 2013 16:37:40 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512936a4eab8ea052f000004
I do understand that Marissa has a tough job to turn around a company that has been demoralized and also the butt jokes in the valley for years ! I also understand her synergy strategy of having all employees hang out together in the office will be better for Yahoo progress. At the same time, this goes against the technological advances and social trends that more and more companies are adopting flexible working environments including telecommuting to work for the reason that these companies realizing that a happy employee is a productive one !http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512935ad69bedd481e00000fInfostackSat, 23 Feb 2013 16:33:33 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512935ad69bedd481e00000f
The problem is lack of private capital, in part because of the CLEC boom bust 10 years ago, because of the vertically integrated mindset of regulators, trade management and capitalists, and lastly because of govt crowding out with BTOP and muni fiber. Most important though is lack of equal/open access. It will take time unfortunately.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51293418ecad04cf3400000dthebodygdSat, 23 Feb 2013 16:26:48 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51293418ecad04cf3400000d
And the rumor is its workforce will soon be 20% lighter in the name of synergy and efficiency !http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512932e4ecad04bf3400000athebodygdSat, 23 Feb 2013 16:21:40 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512932e4ecad04bf3400000a
Ditto ! I could not have said it better myself ! (Actually this may create an opportunity for some entrepreneur to come in and break this current strangle monopolies from good old boys and overpriced networks )http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51292f8569bedd2910000007Millie CooperSat, 23 Feb 2013 16:07:17 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51292f8569bedd2910000007
The new ideas are not the job of the employees. They are not paid to be inventive, they are paid to follow orders. The management, like Marissa Mayer, is paid a shit amount of money to be inventive.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129248fecad04c61a00000aYeah... Sat, 23 Feb 2013 15:20:31 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129248fecad04c61a00000a
Yeah, the same corporate overlord double standard, senior managers and CEOs feel entitled to, as if they were not employees as well. Obviously, CEO-ing from home is fine, workerbeing is not so much...http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512921dceab8ea4f7f00001aPROPRIETARYSat, 23 Feb 2013 15:09:00 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512921dceab8ea4f7f00001a
WTF is "PROPRIETARY" about this email?
For corporate bullshit sky is the limit...http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129216f6bb3f7a07f000008casSat, 23 Feb 2013 15:07:11 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129216f6bb3f7a07f000008
and the obsession continues.....http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512916746bb3f7fc69000017dongateleySat, 23 Feb 2013 14:20:20 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512916746bb3f7fc69000017
Having done it both ways I am sympathetic with her point of view. This isn't about productivity at all. It's about synergy. The thing Yahoo needs now more than anything else is good ideas and they come into existence more freely with frequent interpersonal stimulation than constantly alone at a workstation, even with email. Productivity as measured by tangible output might actually suffer a bit but the tech world is about way more than old fashioned productivity. There is the production of new ideas to consider and in the tech world it is the measure by which a company lives or dies.
I also strongly empathize with those whose personal free time will be reduced by an hour or two every day in order to commute but it is a very rare company for which a worker's free time is a higher priority than the reason they are employed.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129145e6bb3f7b967000015Byte MeSat, 23 Feb 2013 14:11:26 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129145e6bb3f7b967000015
Name one public company that has no offices?http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512913d96bb3f7026a00001aByte MeSat, 23 Feb 2013 14:09:13 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512913d96bb3f7026a00001a
If working from home is "the future" then why are companies like Twitter, Google, Facebook, and Linked-In investing so heavily in their brick-n-mortar footprints?http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129133369bedd344600001fByte MeSat, 23 Feb 2013 14:06:27 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129133369bedd344600001f
Or you could move closer to work. It's not like, you know, you're entitled to a job or something.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129131aecad04437200001dkvs0000Sat, 23 Feb 2013 14:06:02 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5129131aecad04437200001d
Those who are arguing the benefits of working at home are completely missing the point with this strategy. It's an attempt to change the "lifers". They contribute very little and have lost the motivation to even show up to work. You can't just fire them because they know how system x works or understand technology y. This is why a company like aol or yahoo takes so long to turn around. You cant just reinvent yourself without dealing with the anchors in your company.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51290c1eeab8eae34f000064Mark LaGrangeSat, 23 Feb 2013 13:36:14 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51290c1eeab8eae34f000064
pppphhhhttttt... typical insecure, defensive, authoritarian, control freak
1) In other words, "It's no fun being a manager, when your subordinates aren't there to order around, and be arrogant and pompous and demanding towards"
2) If I had "the next great idea", I would sure as hell keep it to myself until I was sure *I* would be the one cashing in on it, and not giving it away to a bunch of corporate executives!
3) Companies spend millions investing in "tools and technologies" for "empowerment" and "collaboration", and "(global) communication", and every other f'ing buzz word, and then they still demand that you come into the office every day to sit in a cubicle!http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512907beecad04f86000001aDouble StandardSat, 23 Feb 2013 13:17:34 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/512907beecad04f86000001a
Isn't she the same person who claimed that she could work just as well at home when she had her baby after joining the company?http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128ff4a6bb3f71345000005jasnoSat, 23 Feb 2013 12:41:30 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128ff4a6bb3f71345000005
This assumes you work with people near you. I would say encourage travel to other sites to bond with the people you actually depend on.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128fec569bedd361c000001pushbuttonchimpSat, 23 Feb 2013 12:39:17 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128fec569bedd361c000001
It's the Facebook effect... and agile ( gawd )
Lots of startups want everyone at the office, and they want everyone in the office in the same room together, to collaborate together Facebook style. It's really annoying for most people who come from non-startups to have to sit with everyone, enjoying the chaos, and noise. It brings on an instant, gut-wrenching feeling that if this is the work environment I'm fucked.
The reality of sitting in a room with everyone may work at FB, but no proof that it works anywhere else. Most of those environments don't work for everyone, to wit, look around the room and notice people wearing full headphones or earbuds to drown out the noise and chaos. Systems people do extremely poor in these environments, and even at Yahoo with its office-style environment there are too many distractions. Not to mention the traffic challenges for people in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Yahoo actually has several different campuses spread across the LA region because of the awful traffic. You spend more time in traffic to do what, impress a manager that thinks your presence in the office constitutes productive work? LA is a classic case for telecommute, yet, a lot of LA businesses want you in the office, and they don't care that too many people are on the road every day making traffic a mess. Not to mention that LA has the biggest problem
Unless you need to be in the office, working from home is more productive if you're coding or working on systems simply because you don't have the distractions.
And, isn't Yahoo supposed to be going MORE into MOBILE not less? They even tell you when you start working there that your cell phone is your main phone, not your deskphone, because chances are you're not going to be sitting at your desk.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128fe57eab8ea5a3600001cHandy SamiltonSat, 23 Feb 2013 12:37:27 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128fe57eab8ea5a3600001c
So quit! I wouldn't work for anyone who didn't allow me some quiet time to get my work done. If you can't trust someone to work remotely, then you shouldn't hire them in the first place. This just seems like another bonehead management move from someone in over their head. If you're worth anything, you'll get another job. Just make sure the next time that you're not working for someone with ideas like this. In our group we have people in China, India, Cyprus, France, and all over California. And, guess what? We have good ideas and manage to share them. It's called Scrum. It's just further proof that great leaders are born, not made. Just because she got lucky at Google doesn't mean it translates. Get out while the gettin' is good.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128fc47eab8ea4a31000011Millie CooperSat, 23 Feb 2013 12:28:39 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128fc47eab8ea4a31000011
"ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL..."
If it doesn't, fire them.
Marissa is just another American fascist.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128faf569beddb30d00001csheba_jdSat, 23 Feb 2013 12:23:01 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128faf569beddb30d00001c
I'm disappointed with Ms. Mayers decision. She clearly doesn't understand what it means to be productive, nor does she seem aware of the benefits realized when people are able to fully balance work-life priorities. I work from home at least 2 days per week due to a disability. If I were forced to come into the office everyday, I would have to quit my job, because I wouldn't be able to do it. Working from home allows me to continue to be a productive citizen. Maybe Ms. Mayer would prefer that people quit and go on disability? She could be driving some of her best employees away. She should do this on a case-by-case basis. Find out who truly needs to work from home, find out who is truly productive from home. Don't throw out the baby with the bath water.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128f2f1ecad04353e000002bdbrSat, 23 Feb 2013 11:48:49 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128f2f1ecad04353e000002
It depends on the work. For coding and project work, one can be more productive (speed and quality) working in a quiet room at home without interruptions.
The bigger problem for companies like Yahoo is, the "next great idea" rarely comes from people sitting alone or in organized meetings. This is why tech companies have a lot of common areas, and many have no cubicles at all.
Our IT made this same move a couple of years ago. It has always been pretty unpopular, but I think it is working. The key is to retain some flexibility - enforcing the policy (e.g. threats of firing) will only backfire.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128f20c6bb3f7042900001bAndré Kenji De SousaSat, 23 Feb 2013 11:45:00 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128f20c6bb3f7042900001b
www.ft.com/cms/s/0/09630cc6-8e28-11e0-bee5-00144feab49a.htmlhttp://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128f07eeab8ea851200001fAlanSat, 23 Feb 2013 11:38:22 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128f07eeab8ea851200001f
Scott Adams was running out of ideas for Dilbert so he got his friend Marissa to put a whole bunch of new slaves in cubicles so they could contribute. Watch for new episodes soon with a new boss modeled on Marissa.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128f02469bedd8c75000003lark williamsSat, 23 Feb 2013 11:36:52 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128f02469bedd8c75000003
The deeper meaning is that Mayer's bag of tricks is getting empty. Surely worrying about the at home policy is a ow-level priority item. So the real takeaway from this edit is that the idea cupboard is bare, and Yahoo! will embark on continuous labor tightening moves, making Yahoo! feel like a traditional shrinking media company (magazines, newspapers for example) then a high tech growth company. The growth in Yahoo! is overhttp://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128ec3beab8ea7b0a00000dRomperSat, 23 Feb 2013 11:20:11 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128ec3beab8ea7b0a00000d
I think that it is normal to work in the office. Yahoo should give a raise to compensate the travel from home to office, maybe a company car - and if not - compensate it in other way, people should get a desk, a decent computer - and if not - they should get compensation if they use their own laptop. But I think that Yahoo did let the people on purpose work at home - to cut costs - desk, company car, computer, electricity, etc. Now they changed their mind - but do the compensation follow? If yes - there should be no problem to work in the office. But I think that they want the people to work in the office but without giving them extra money for it - so they should work with low wages, do more and don't expect a normal wage. M.Mayer can not even compose a normal letter to show people the benefits that they will get. And Yahoo Email is the worst in the world - it is impossible to get an email landed in the Yahoo Inbox from an Email Address that is from a private domain - Yahoo will block the sending IP and mark it as spam -even if it is the first letter from that IP and even when it is not spam - and even if the IP is not listed as a spam source on any tracker. M.Mayer doesn't know what is going on. Yahoo wasted a huge possibility they had - Altavista - and it seems that there is no hope for Yahoo. The people who elect new CEO's do not have decent brains. M.Mayer is just a new product of their low-energy brains. Yahoo needs a CEO that is 'renaissance' person - who can and want to figure things out.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128e9c6eab8ea7b0a000001I agreeSat, 23 Feb 2013 11:09:42 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128e9c6eab8ea7b0a000001
If you didn't have kids, wives, refrigerators, beverly hillbillies repeats and your pajamas on all day long, it might work.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128e902eab8ea7607000007DuhSat, 23 Feb 2013 11:06:26 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128e902eab8ea7607000007
Honestly, this is what an inexperienced manager does. They try and control people. Instead of recognizing that people all have different work styles. They all have different strengths and weaknesses and most importantly that ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL... Many people work better alone or at 11pm or in spurts... Many women are very productive but still want to be mothers... many men would rather awake at 4am and work...etc. etc. etc.
You cannot force creativity. Instead you allow for it... by letting people be free to be themselves.
The fact that Mayer has only worked at one job, one company, proves to me she is utterly unqualified for this role for she is clueless as to what makes people tick. A great leader needs to understand people more than anything.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128e11eeab8ea487400003cBill McNealSat, 23 Feb 2013 10:32:46 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128e11eeab8ea487400003c
Wow I now think she still works for Google.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128dfdc6bb3f7220a000010mpSat, 23 Feb 2013 10:27:24 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128dfdc6bb3f7220a000010
This is really just a way to do some layoffs/firings in an easy way.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128daf86bb3f7df7d000007My TakeSat, 23 Feb 2013 10:06:32 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128daf86bb3f7df7d000007
It said "Do Not Forward." It did not say "Don't Copy & Paste."
Seriously, Dean, Yahoo is a publicly-traded company. Business news sources have an obligation to release any info they get which might impact stockholders. Or do you still believe stock buy and sell decisions should be based on PR releases?
And by the way, no one in their right mind expects an email blasted to hundreds of employees to remain confidential (especially when it impacts them in a negative way). If anything the notation "Confidential" was to ensure that the memo was circulated as far and wide as possible. It was a publicity gimmick, for some reason or other that escapes me.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128d978eab8ea1565000001cmonsterSat, 23 Feb 2013 10:00:08 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128d978eab8ea1565000001
I could never hire anyone who couldn't be productive while working offsite. Especially working in a technical communications company in this global economy. I don't blame the workers, I blame the management.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128d0856bb3f7956a000004InfostackSat, 23 Feb 2013 09:21:57 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128d0856bb3f7956a000004
Internet Cos should eat their own dogfood. Either Yahoo has poor knowledge management and collaboration tools, or the networks into employees homes are not powerful enough to support HD group video conferencing. I fully support the free-think that occurs when people come together, but it is not necessary every day.
It's time the major tech companies (Yahoo, Google, Apple, MSFT, Amazon, Intel, Cisco, IBM) all band together and act as an anchor consortium to help a competitor build a competitive gigabit fiber and wideband wireless network. The only one with a strategic lower layer vision is Google. Apple dabbles in Wifi, while Intel ventures stated to me, "we don't invest in networks". How unfortunate and short-sighted. How are the tech companies to benefit from a robust remote learning, working, socializing and more mobile world if they can't themselves take advantage of it? Our current broadband monopolies are 20-150x overpriced on a performance/price basis and it is a huge drag on our tech and GDP growth.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128d00669bedd3723000013Ann DroidSat, 23 Feb 2013 09:19:50 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128d00669bedd3723000013
Bob: Bullshite. This is purely for the bloated middle-management to have chair-warmers for their endless meetings. Nothing fluffs the egos of the PowerPoint prince/princesses more than counting the time wasted in conference rooms. When at work the people mostly communicate online, anyway. You are living in Don Draper-land, Bob.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128cd3c6bb3f7ef61000026Bob WhiteSat, 23 Feb 2013 09:07:56 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128cd3c6bb3f7ef61000026
I agree with the spirit of this memo. You really do need co-location to innovate and bounce ideas around. It makes a world of difference in the quality and usefulness of products.
Anyone who has had to work remotely with another office, especially in a different timezone, knows how disconnected and disorganized things *will* get.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128cce16bb3f7b66100000eyabigdopeSat, 23 Feb 2013 09:06:25 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128cce16bb3f7b66100000e
Hey Dean, pretty sure you're not required to abide by Yahoo's rules if you don't work for Yahoo.
If all internal rules and policies applied to everyone everywhere, then any company or government could essentially set policy for all of us.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128cbe3eab8eaf34300001byabigdopeSat, 23 Feb 2013 09:02:11 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128cbe3eab8eaf34300001b
Gawd! Reading that memo makes my skin crawl.
It feels like another smarmy way of saying, "We at HQ don't trust you people when we can't see what you're doing...."
Working at home is the future. One would think a company like Yahoo would get that. Of course, what would I know, I'm not a "Yahoo." And thank Gawd for that.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128cbb1ecad04ae72000002Dean WormerSat, 23 Feb 2013 09:01:21 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128cbb1ecad04ae72000002
When an internal memo says YAHOO! PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION — DO NOT FORWARD.
I think that means do not publish this on the internet. If I was her I'd sue BI. Kevin why do you think its OK to publish this.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128ca9aeab8eabb3c000024Ann DroidSat, 23 Feb 2013 08:56:42 -0500http://www.businessinsider.com/c/5128ca9aeab8eabb3c000024
Getting stuff done without 2-3 hours lost per day watching the taillights in front of you = bad!
Being narcissistic Blonde queen of the tech blogs presiding over this Dead Company Walking = moar please!